PCI-E Connector?

[jones786]

Hello all, I just started a new build and I was hoping to keep my old power supply, the 400W Forton/Source FSP400-60PFN. Thing is, I've got a nice new Radeon HD4850 that needs a 6-pin connection. Could I just buy some sort of adapter that would make this work? This power supply was recommended by AnandTech 4 years ago when I bought it and, granted, PSUs available today have improved a lot since then, but from what I've read I feel like it should be adequate for my build:

Core 2 Duo E7200
Patriot 2x2 GB DDR2-800 RAM
Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3L
ASUS EAH4850

Or am I mistaken? If I need a new one I was thinking about one of these:

PC P&C Silencer PPCS500D 500W
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817703016

OCZ Stealth XStream OCZ600SXS 600W (or the 500W version, if it's cheaper)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/...x?Item=N82E16817341010

Recommendations?

 

[CalvinHobbes]

The video card should come with a molex to 6 pin adapter. If not you can buy one.

 

[jones786]

oh ok, great. (dont know how i missed that...

but you think i'll be fine in terms of stability etc.?

 

[Aluvus]

Originally posted by: jones786
This power supply was recommended by AnandTech 4 years ago when I bought it and, granted, PSUs available today have improved a lot since then, but from what I've read I feel like it should be adequate for my build:

Not an easy call. Your supply is rated for 15 A on the 12 V rail (180 W), which is low by modern standards. The HD 4850 posted not-insane (but not low) power draw in Anandtech's review. But given that they only measure total system power draw, and their test bed uses a beast of a CPU (which draws considerably more power than yours even at idle), it's hard to nail down numbers. Sure, the total system power draw they measured was beyond what your supply is rated for on the 12 V rail, but not all of that load is on the 12 V rail.

If it were my system, I would replace the power supply. At best, you're pushing the upper bound of what the supply is rated for, and power supplies do get (somewhat) worse with age. Plenty of people would just roll the dice with the existing supply, and might be fine.

 

[jones786]

Thanks for the well-researched commentary....I'm inclined to roll the dice, since I'm probably not looking at any upgrades in the near future. Still, it's a tough call. Wish I could test this thing myself....

 

[Concillian]

Just FYI, if I measure with a Kill-a-watt I can pull 250W with a 4850 + e7200 system at max load. This is at the wall, so PSU output is more like ~210W.

If your PSU is only capable of 180W on the 12v rail, it's only a matter of time before you start having problems.